Questions to ask a Fort Worth tree company

Put these to whoever gives you the quote. We give no quotes, and nobody here checks a company's licenses, insurance or reviews, including any company that takes a job through this site. So the checking is yours, and most of the questions that matter here are about Fort Worth's own rules. Have the answers written down before any money changes hands.

Does this need a city permit, and whose name goes on it?

The city's Urban Forestry page says a dying or hazardous tree, or one healthy tree, needs a tree removal permit. If someone tells you a dead tree needs nothing, ask them to show you where the city says so, then call 817-392-2222 yourself. The application has an applicant line and a separate owner line, so ask who files it. Ask who pays the fee as well. The city can tell you what it is. The permit page has the detail.

Is this a parkway tree?

A tree in the parkway needs Forestry's permit, typically issued within three weeks of submittal, and its form has a line for the contractor. A company that does not ask where your property line runs has not thought about this. The who to call page explains how to tell.

What species is it, and how wide 4.5 feet up?

Both matter under the ordinance: 18 inches across makes a post or blackjack oak significant, and 24 inches does the same for other protected species. A company should be able to answer without guessing, and put both on the quote.

If it is an oak, what date will you cut?

The Forest Service wants oaks left without fresh wounds from February through June, with cuts and stumps painted right away. Ask about both. The oaks page has why.

If it is an ash, where does the wood go?

Tarrant County is on the state's emerald ash borer quarantine list, and the Forest Service says to chip, burn or bury infested ash where it stands, not move it. Ask whether it will be chipped on site. See the ash trees page.

Who calls 811, and who calls about signals?

Stump grinding and root digging can hit what is buried. Under Texas law, notice goes in no later than 48 hours and no earlier than 14 days before excavation starts, with weekends and legal holidays left out of the count. Forestry adds 817-392-1234 for city signals and lights, three to five working days ahead. The Railroad Commission said in 2020 that a call is needed for digging deeper than 16 inches, while 811 says "Shallow digging is still digging!" Ask who makes the call, and ask for the ticket number.

Who deals with Oncor?

If limbs are near a wire, ask what the plan is. Oncor tells customers to stay 10 feet from high voltage lines and to contact it first, and the six-foot limit in state law applies unless the danger is guarded against. For the wire to your meter, Oncor describes a temporary disconnect arranged through your electricity provider. A vague answer here is a reason to get another estimate.

Who hauls everything away?

The city's drop-off stations bar commercial vehicles and say landscapers and construction contractors must use permitted sites or the landfill. Ask if logs, chips, sawdust and stump grindings all leave. The limbs and brush page has the city's limits.

Will you show me your insurance, and can I phone the insurer?

The International Society of Arboriculture tells people to get the proof and then phone the insurance company to confirm it. Ask about liability and workers' compensation, since the Texas Department of Insurance says some Texas employers do not carry it. If there is none, ask what happens if someone is hurt in your yard. We do not check any of this for you.

What goes on paper?

The FTC says an estimate should describe the work and materials and give a completion date and the price. For a tree job, have it name each tree and say who pays for broken fences and rutted lawns. Get more than one, as ISA advises, and it adds that the lowest bid is not always the one to take. The Texas Department of Insurance warns against signing anything with blank sections.

Who holds the ISA credential, by name?

Ask for a name and look it up in ISA's directory, which it says exists to verify and locate credential holders. Listing is voluntary, so a missing name proves nothing. This matters here because the city's form for a hazardous tree asks for a letter from a certified arborist or similar professional, so ask who would write it.

Will you top this tree?

The answer you want is no. ISA says topping is "perhaps the most harmful" pruning practice there is. The trim or remove page says why.

When do you want paying?

The FTC says to avoid paying for the whole job up front, and to hold the final payment until you are satisfied with the work. For a sale at your home, it says you generally have three business days to cancel, and the contract should say so. After a storm it wants a card or check used, never a wire, gift card or payment app.

What is your company's own name and address?

Many websites that come up for Fort Worth tree work look like a local company but pass calls along. This site does that too, and it says so: the footer says who runs it, and it does no tree work. Whoever you end up talking to, ask for the legal name of the company doing the work and where it is based, and make sure that name is on the contract.

Door to door after a storm

ISA warns about people going door to door with bargains. The FTC says unlicensed contractors and scammers often appear in recovery zones. A contractor who offers to waive your deductible is breaking the law, the insurance department says, and it tells people to report suspected scams to local law enforcement. The FTC also takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The insurance department's help line is 800-252-3439.